Choupo-Moting, a Premier League ever present since the second game of the season, says a team-bonding meal at an Italian restaurant in Manchester earlier this week appears to have done the trick.

Max Choupo-Moting in action at Manchester City last week (Image: Getty)

“We talked a little bit about the game and I think everybody knows he can do better,” he revealed. “And I am very confident we will do better. Tuesday was good. We were eating together and talking, but not only about football, but having a bit of fun and laughing and jokes.

“Who are the jokers? Kurt Zouma is a funny guy. Also Geoff Cameron, Jack Butland. Charlie Adam always has some good comments, so I love that about him also.”

Not that Choupo-Moting is playing down the pain felt by the players after experience what, for him at least, was the worst defeat of his professional career.

“It was very painful of course,” he admitted. “I feel very sorry for all the supporters. You can lose against City, of course, a team with exceptional quality, but the way we lost and our mentality on the pitch... we have to do better and we have to learn from it.

“At 3-2, I had a good feeling and think maybe anything is possible, but the way we presented ourselves on the pitch was not good.

“I've never lost like this. I felt very bad. It felt like there was no good communication on the pitch and you could see in the eyes we never had a solution. We cannot give goals like this and I felt sad for Jack (Butland) to be honest.”

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“So it is going to be difficult, of course, but there are no easy games anymore, but so far at home we are having good performances.

“The Chelsea game was not the best, of course, but it was against the champions. We just need to be positive and 100 per cent in the head. The quality of the individual, I think we have it.”

Boss Mark Hughes, who joined Choupo-Moting and Butland at a City 7s presentation at the Willows Primary School in Penkhull, could have the option of teenager Tom Edwards against Bournemouth as he was due to return to training today following an ankle injury sustained during last week’s debut at the Etihad.